If you thought it was hot yesterday on the North Shore, you’re not alone.
West Vancouver was one of the many municipalities across B.C. to break a temperature record for Saturday, Aug. 23.
Temperatures soared to 30.1 C in West Vancouver, sizzling the previous record of 29.0 C in 1987.
Abbotsford, Pitt Meadows, Whistler, Victoria, Sechelt and Qualicum Beach were some of the other municipalities that broke daily heat records Saturday, said Environment Canada meteorologist Jennifer Kowal.
Whistler saw a scorching 34.2 C, breaking the previous 33.5 C in 1988. Victoria also saw 31.1 C, smashing the previous record of 30.0 C over 100 years ago in 1916.
Kowal said the recent heat is due to a big ridge of high pressure over the western part of North America, spanning into Alberta, B.C. and the American Pacific Northwest.
“It’s very dry, so there’s not a lot of moisture around,” Kowal said.
Hot temperatures are expected to continue until next week, with a chance of a break coming Tuesday and Wednesday in the form of some cloud cover. But the weather will heat up again on Thursday and Friday, she said.
“When we’re talking about a break, it might only be two or three degrees cooler,” Kowal said. “It’s not really that significant, just a little bit of cloud, which will be a nice break.”
With the continuing hot weather, the meteorologist is reminding people to make sure they are safe in the sun by wearing sunscreen, staying in the shade or air conditioning, staying hydrated and avoiding sitting in a car for long periods of time.
“We don’t have a heat warning issued, so it’s not really deemed particularly extreme or unsafe,” Kowal said. “[But] of course you do want to still take your precautions with seeking out shade, having a hat and sunscreen and all of that.”
Abby Luciano is the Indigenous and civic affairs reporter for the North Shore News. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.
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